Northern Ireland: 1920 - 1997

Question 1

What did the Government of Ireland Act, 1920 do?

Answer 1

• This created in Northern Ireland and partitioned Ireland into two parts
• It gave Northern Ireland its own Parliament

Question 2

What are the 6 counties of Northern Ireland?

Answer 2

Fermanagh, Armagh, Tyrone, Derry, Antrim, Down

Question 3

What was Northern Ireland’s parliament called?

Answer 3

Stormont

Question 4

Which party dominated Stormont in the beginning?

Answer 4

The Ulster Unionists Party was the largest party. Most Protestants voted for them.

Question 5

When was James Craig PM of Northern Ireland?

Answer 5

1921 - 1940

Question 6

James Craig declared Stormont was “…

Answer 6

“a Protestant parliament for Protestant people”

Question 7

In what was were Catholics in NI discriminated against in politics?

Answer 7

1. Constituencies were gerrymandered

2. A person with multiple properties could vote multiple times. Catholics were poorer so had less votes

Question 8

What does gerrymandering mean?

Answer 8

Constituency boundaries were strategically drawn to ensure the Unionists always won, even in Nationalist areas

Question 9

In what was were Catholics in NI discriminated against in housing?

Answer 9

Local authority housing was often given to Protestant families rather that Catholics

Question 10

In what was were Catholics in NI discriminated against in jobs?

Answer 10

Catholics found it difficult to get good jobs. There was a high unemployment rate amongst Catholic men

Question 11

In what was were Catholics in NI discriminated against in policing?

Answer 11

The RUC were mainly Protestant. A part-time police force called the B-Specials was set up - they were 100% Protestant

Question 12

Who were the RUC?

Answer 12

The Royal Ulster Constabulary - the police in NI

Question 13

Was NI involved in WWII?

Answer 13

Yes - they were directly involved in the war and fought alongside Britain

Question 14

How did the ports at Derry and Belfast play a vital role in WWII?

Answer 14

They were vital stages on the Atlantic sea route that brought food and war materials from the US to Britain

Question 15

What did the Harland & Wolff shipyard do in WWII?

Answer 15

Built ships for the British navy

Question 16

When and who replaced James Craig as PM of NI?

Answer 16

In 1941 James Craig was replaced by JM Andrews

Question 17

When, why and who replaced JM Andrews as PM of NI?

Answer 17

JM Andrews didn’t do a good job of protecting NI in WWII so was replaced by Basil Brooke in 1943

Question 18

What was the Welfare State?

Answer 18

When WWII ended, Britain elected the Labour Party into government. They introduced the Welfare State:

• Social welfare increased
• Free medical care to all
• Better old age pensions
• Free secondary education to all

Question 19

What was the 11+ exam?

Answer 19

As part of the introduction of the Welfare State in Britain, if children could get a free place in a grammar school if they passed the 11+ exam and were more likely to go to university. This created a new generation of well-educated Catholics

Question 20

When was Terence O’Neill PM of Northern Ireland?

Answer 20

1963 - 1969

Question 21

Who was Ian Paisley?

Answer 21

An extreme Unionist. He was one of O’Neill’s most vocal opponents. He didn’t want to give any concessions to Catholics.

Question 22

What was the name of the political party set up by Ian Paisley?

Answer 22

Democratic Unionist Party

Question 23

What was NICRA and when and why was it set up?

Answer 23

In 1967, the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) was set up to end discrimination of Catholics/Nationalists in Northern Ireland

Question 24

Who was NICRA led by?

Answer 24

Young, well-educated nationalists called Gerry Fitt, John Hume, and Bernadette Devlin

Question 25

What were the demands of NICRA?

Answer 25

1. End gerrymandering
2. One man, one vote
3. End discrimination

Question 26

What happened to NICRA in October 1968?

Answer 26

The RUC and B-Specials violently attacked a NICRA protect march in Derry

Question 27

Why did the British government force O’Neill to bring in ‘one man, one vote’ and end gerrymandering?

Answer 27

TV cameras began to films to attacks in Northern Ireland and people around the world were made aware of the discrimination. This embarrassed the British government as ultimately they were in charge of NI

Question 28

What was the Bogside?

Answer 28

A poor Catholic part of Derry city

Question 29

Who led the SDLP?

Answer 29

Gerry Fitt and John Hume

Question 30

What was the SDLP?

Answer 30

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Question 31

Who was PM of Northern Ireland in 1971?

Answer 31

Brian Faulkner

Question 32

What happened on Bloody Sunday, 1972?

Answer 32

British soldiers opened fire on an anti-internment march in Derry. 13 unarmed men were killed

Question 33

What was the Sunningdale Agreement?

Answer 33

In 1973, the Ulster Unionist Party agreed with the SDLP to set up a power sharing government. But this failed after protest from both sides

Question 34

What was the second attempt to bring peace to NI?

Answer 34

The Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985

Question 35

Who was the Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985 negotiated by?

Answer 35

Margaret Thatcher and Garrett Fitzgerald

Question 36

What were the terms of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985?

Answer 36

1. The North and South would co-operate on security matters

2. The British government promised to consult the Irish government about developments in the North

Question 37

Was the Anglo-Irish Agreement, 1985 a success?

Answer 37

No → Many hard-line Unionists (e.g. Paisley’s DUP) strongly opposed the agreement as it gave the ROI a say in Northern Ireland’s politics

Question 38

What was the third attempt to bring peace to NI?

Answer 38

The Good Friday Agreement, 1997

Question 39

When did the IRA announce a ceasefire in NI?

Answer 39

1997

Question 40

The signing of the Good Friday Agreement, 1997 was led by..

Answer 40

..PM, Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern